


A Little Less Action, A Little More Conversation, Please

by Stefanyeah



Series: The Bull and the Prince [1]
Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Enemies to Friends, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:42:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27579310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stefanyeah/pseuds/Stefanyeah
Summary: Maybe it was pity, maybe it was curiosity, but instead of getting ready to fight, Asterius sat down.
Relationships: Asterius | The Minotaur & Zagreus (Hades Video Game)
Series: The Bull and the Prince [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2135718
Comments: 8
Kudos: 113





	A Little Less Action, A Little More Conversation, Please

**Author's Note:**

> **Beta:** El
> 
>  **Author‘s Notes:**  
>  That Zagreus/Asterius tag is rather empty. This culpable negligence has to be rectified.
> 
> I'm still trying to find the voices of everyone in this game. But I'm sure there'll be lots chances to practise.
> 
> Title butchered from an Elvis song.

He heard the telltale smashing behind the door, urns breaking and the bodies of old heroes crashing into walls. In just a few moments, the short one would be here once again. It had got hard to beat him. More often than not, the challenger would beat Theseus and him and leave Elysium.

And yet the challenger still returned.

Asterius wasn’t sure if Theseus thought about the implications of that. The King just seemed happy to boast in front of the challenger, calling him all kinds of names that Asterius did not believe to be correct. Even if Theseus didn't want to believe it, the short one did have the gods' support. Asterius had felt all of their presences at some point in their fights.

The door finally opened and the challenger entered. Asterius had forgotten his name, as he usually zoned out when Theseus and the challenger bickered with each other before the fights.

Today, however, Asterius doubted he’d make it to the arena. He hadn’t looked this bad in a long time. Asterius recognised the traces of butterfly kisses, as well as bleeding cuts and chain marks that Asterius didn't know the cause of. His sword looked different, but it was dragging through the grass.

The short one looked at the minotaur and sighed.

Maybe it was pity, maybe it was curiosity, but instead of getting ready to fight, Asterius sat down.

The short one frowned briefly. Still, he sat down in front of Asterius without prompting.

„You're already on the brink of death, short one.“

The challenger fell backwards into the grass, arms spread. „Wasn’t lucky this time round,“ he groaned. „You might as well finish me off right away.“

Asterius grunted. „Disposing of you now would not be honourable.“

The short one lifted his head and winked. „I’ll tell Orpheus how you beat me up so he can sing your praises to the shades if you want.“

Asterius stared at the challenger. Was he serious or joking? Asterius couldn’t figure it out, so he chose not to reply. „You’ve escaped,“ he stated instead. „So many times. Why do you keep coming back?“

The short one laughed. The laughter was interrupted by a pained groan. „Bloody Wringers.“

Asterius didn’t know what those were, and in which parts of the underworld they dwelled. He deemed that particular knowledge not desirable, however. So he stayed silent for a while.

The short one remained silent as well, staring up at Elysium’s dome and breathing, sometimes cursing at other things Asterius had no desire to learn more about.

„So, why are you always sent back into the underworld?“ Asterius asked eventually.

The short one sighed and sat up. „That‘s priv—“ he started, but fell silent and grinned at Asterius. „I‘ll tell you in the next room, Asterius.“

„You want to cheat.“

The challenger shrugged. „Our fight in the arena won’t be avoidable. We might as well have a break before.“

„There’ll be more of the Exalted behind that door,“ Asterius pointed out.

„Maybe even a pack of Flame Wheels,“ the short one quipped. „Scared?“

Asterius rolled his eyes. He wouldn’t fall for that ruse. Nevertheless, Asterius stood and shouldered his axe. „In your state, you wouldn’t survive any of those.“

The following room was easy enough. It really held a pack of Flame Wheels and two Chariots. Asterius kept out of the way mostly, watching the short one dash between them and release bouts of water that pushed the small enemies away.

Once the room was cleared, a ball with the frozen ears representing Demeter appeared before the short one. The short one touched it without hesitation, and Demeter’s cold voice was heard, offering some of her scarce blessings. He picked one and shivered, commenting on her coldness, and turned to Asterius.

The challenger pointed his thumb over his shoulder at the door they just had come through. „I promised to answer a few of your questions if you accompanied me through that door.“

„What’s your name again?“ Asterius asked.

The short one gasped in mock shock. „You forgot it? Even Tisiphone knows it.“

Asterius chose to ignore that claim. Everyone knew this particular Fury only knew two words. Asterius wouldn’t take pride in it if Tisiphone had extended her vocabulary by his name. „I do not always follow your conversations with the King,“ he admitted instead.

„Don’t blame you,“ the short one replied. He held his hand out. „Zagreus.“

That sounded familiar, Asterius thought. So maybe he had caught the short one’s name after all. Asterius took his hand, it disappeared completely in his own fist. „Asterius.“

„I know,“ Zagreus replied, grinning broadly.

And for some reason, Asterius felt ashamed at having paid no attention to his most worthy opponent in a long time.

„You sure you don't want some of that nectar or ambrosia?“ Zagreus asked.

„Just give me the answer you bribed me with.“

Zagreus sighed and shrugged. „Father disagrees with my plans. He'll try and stop me himself if even Elysium’s champions can’t keep me here.“

„Your father…“ Asterius repeated. He frowned and looked at that weird mismatched red eye, the laurel crown that always seemed to burn up and wither, and those burning feet that left the Elysian grass sizzling in their path. „No way.“

„I just demand answers to my questions,“ the short one continued. He didn’t seem to be paying attention to Asterius, but looked at one of the two doors that had now been unlocked. „I have a right to those answers.“

„Are you sure?“

Zagreus turned his head to look at Asterius. „I imagine the circumstances regarding your birth were a tad unusual.“

Asterius lifted an eyebrow. He would have thought that this story was well known even in the underworld. But maybe it hadn't got that far down. „Well… You could say that, yes.“

„You know about them?“

„Of course.“

„You’re ahead of me there, mate,“ Zagreus sighed, and pressed his left hand to his right shoulder and rolled it, before walking towards the now unlocked door. „Thanks for the short break, Asterius.“

He walked through the door marked by Lord Ares’ sigil.

Asterius watched the door closing behind the short one. With a grunt, he followed Zagreus. No point in finding his own way into the arena, he figured. He could just follow the short one, watch him struggle through the rooms, and hope he’d get worn down further — hopefully enough to defeat him in the arena again, for a change.

The room Asterius entered wasn’t filled with enemies, however. Shades were waiting in it, cowering and shivering as Lord Ares’ voice boomed through the room, praising the short one for his bloodshed and urging him on.

With Lord Ares’ blessings it would be even harder to beat the challenger. An ominous red glow surrounded Zagreus for a moment, giving him an aura of bloodshed and war. It didn’t last long, and when the short one turned around to face Asterius, he was wearing that smirk again.

„Asterius, I’m glad you’re joining me again.“

„We’re both headed for the arena,“ Asterius pointed out. He could hear the crowd of the arena roaring already. But there was one more thing he was curious about. „Have you even beaten your father?“

„I have sent him back into the river Styx a few times.“

„Then why…“

However, the short one shook his head, grin gone from his face. „No, those answers are not meant to be known yet.“

Asterius nodded. „I hope you’ll find what you’re looking for, Zagreus.“

„Thank you.“ And just like that the pensive mood had disappeared and that cheeky grin was back. „You sure you can’t let me slip through the door just this one time?“

„No.“

„Ah well, I shouldn’t disappoint my good fan.“

**Author's Note:**

> There might or might not be a sequel with the proper song quote as a title in the works.


End file.
